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Thursday, 6 December 2012

FDI debate in RS: Mayawati says BSP will back govt, SP decides to abstain from voting

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FDI debate in RS: Mayawati says BSP will back govt, SP decides to abstain from votingClean Media CorrespondentNew Delhi, Dec 06 (CMC) Terming foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail as a 'black law' that would 'kill the farmers' and destroy the livelihood of small traders, the Samajwadi Party (SP) Thursday said that the party will abstain from voting in Rajya Sabha on Friday and asked the government to 'think over the issue again'."The FDI will kill the farmers and destroy the livelihood of small traders. This is a black law (kaala kanoon) and should not be passed. The government must rethink this proposal," the party's Naresh Agrawal said in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on FDI in multi-brand retail."If only big industries thrive here, the country will not move forward. We need the small and marginal traders, producers, farmers... stop this air-conditioned thinking," he added.Slamming the government's claim that the foreign players will benefit the farmers, Agrawal said the farmers don't need cold chains but subsidies, seeds, water, electricity and a proper market where they can sell their produce at fair prices.The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will vote in favour of the Congress-led UPA government on the issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, party chief Mayawati told the Rajya Sabha Thursday.The BSP supremo was taking part in the two-day debate in the upper house on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. Voting on the discussion shall be Friday.Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was briefly adjourned as Mayawati accused the BJP of targeting her party over its stance on FDI in multi-brand retail and said the main opposition party's stance was like a "fox" who cannot reach grapes and terms them sour.When the house resumed after a 10-minute break, she declared: "The BSP has decided to vote in favour of the government."In the Lok Sabha, the BSP had walked out of the house shortly before voting was held Wednesday on the same issue after a two-day debate. The BSP walkout helped the ruling United Progressive Alliance in defeating the opposition-sponsored motion.Earlier, before the Rajya Sabha was adjourned, the BJP members strongly protested to Mayawati's remarks against them. They alleged that she was not speaking on the motion concerning FDI for which she had been allotted time.Mayawati mentioned about references in the Lok Sabha about UPA government's alleged misuse of CBI to influence the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).Chairman Hamid Ansari assured the members that any unparliamentary word will not go on record.However, parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath supported Mayawati saying that the simile of "grapes being sour" had been used many times in debates and was "not unparliamentary".Mayawati also accused the BJP of using CBI to foist cases against her.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced confidence that the FDI decision will get the approval in Rajya Sabha as Mayawati had indicated that her party would vote in the Upper House where a discussion on the issue began."I am confident about Rajya Sabha," Singh told reporters in Parliament House when asked whether he was confident of winning the vote in Rajya Sabha.Mayawati, whose party BSP sided with the government in Lok Sabha during voting on FDI in retail, said, "You will see tomorrow" the party stand on the issue in the Upper House.She said this when reporters asked what would be the party's position in Rajya Sabha where the government is facing a tough test.Congress and its allies had yesterday defeated the Opposition-backed motion over FDI in multi-brand retail in the Lok Sabha. SP and BSP had staged a walkout ahead of the voting.The Opposition, however, has dismissed the government's victory in Lok Sabha alleging that it misused enforcement agencies like CBI to intimidate SP and BSP and win votes in the Lower House."It is a fight between CBI and FDI," BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters, taking a dig at SP and BSP over their walkout.Rejecting the allegation, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that the Opposition was "casting aspersions" on the democratic institutions by levelling "baseless" charges.Talking to reporters, he also expressed confidence that the government will win the FDI test in Rajya Sabha.